Recreational shooters, world champions, farmers, Olympic athletes, small businesses and those with an interest in firearms are invited to take part in the first ever nation-wide survey to measure the economic and social benefits of the sport.

There are over 1 million Australians who are registered firearm owners, with over a hundred thousand participants every week engaged in the sport across the country.

Most are engaged in recreational shooting at thousands of clubs nationwide and many use firearms as part of their daily work in pest management and farming.

The study will seek to quantify the social and economic contribution the shooting industry makes to Australia. Local shooting clubs, regional sports events and shooting tourism can be pivotal economic drivers.

The local employment of over 1,000 firearm dealers and the wider firearm manufacturing industry that support this activity needs to be better understood. Demographic information, along with health and wellbeing benefits for participants, is also being examined.

“There’s never been a comprehensive look at what recreational shooting as a sport and pastime contributes to our country,” the Minister for Sport, Senator Bridget McKenzie said.

“We really want to get under the hood of this sporting industry and understand what it is contributing each day, in dollar terms to our regional economies.

“Shooting should be treated just like any other sport that is successful in winning Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals. It is a little known fact that shooting is Australia’s 7th most successful sport at the Olympic level (after swimming, athletics, cycling, rowing, sailing and equestrian).

“We have shooting champions that continue to inspire the next generation of athletes yet it is treated as poor second cousin to other more ‘glamourous’ sports.

“And that is why we are undertaking the first-ever study to understand just how important shooting is to our economy.”

A Victorian study into that state’s sector alone found that gun sports contributed $430 million to the economy and generated 1500 direct jobs.

Similarly, NSW has estimated that recreational hunters spent $100 million in 2016 purchasing equipment and food associated with hunting, which contributed around 860 jobs to the economy.

“Without national data however, we can never hope to expand, improve, measure and promote sport shooting in the same manner that every other sport enjoys. Without hard data about the economic benefits of the shooting, our ability to tap into higher level funding, events and cultural dialogue will always be hindered,” Minister McKenzie said.

In the 2018-19 federal budget, the Liberal Nationals Government announced it would invest an additional $230 million in sport and physical activities over five years.